Release Year: 2009

Country: USA

Runtime: 133 min

Languages: English

Director:

Tagline: His people needed a leader. He gave them a champion.

Cast: Morgan Freeman … Nelson Mandela
Matt Damon … Francois Pienaar
Tony Kgoroge … Jason Tshabalala
Patrick Mofokeng … Linga Moonsamy
Matt Stern … Hendrick Booyens
Julian Lewis Jones … Etienne Feyder
Adjoa Andoh … Brenda Mazibuko
Marguerite Wheatley … Nerine
Leleti Khumalo … Mary
Patrick Lyster … Mr. Pienaar
Penny Downie … Mrs. Pinnear
Sibongile Nojila … Eunice
Bonnie Henna … Zindzi
Shakes Myeko … Minister of Sport
Louis Minnaar … Springbok Coach

Plot: Nelson Mandela, in his first term as the South African President, initiates a unique venture to unite the apartheid-torn land: enlist the national rugby team on a mission to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup. add synopsis

Awards: Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 17 nominations

Release Year: 2009

Country: USA | Canada

Runtime: 111 min

Languages: English

Director:

Tagline: Defying The Impossible. Living The Dream.

Cast: Hilary Swank … Amelia Earhart
Richard Gere … George Putnam
Ewan McGregor … Gene Vidal
Christopher Eccleston … Fred Noonan
Joe Anderson … Bill
Cherry Jones … Eleanor Roosevelt
Mia Wasikowska … Elinor Smith
Aaron Abrams … Slim Gordon
Dylan Roberts … Leo Bellarts
Scott Yaphe … William Dalten
Tom Fairfoot … Balfour
Ryann Shane … Young Amelia
William Cuddy … Gore Vidal
Elizabeth Shepherd … Frances Putnam
Richard Donat … Gallagher

Plot: A look at the life of legendary American pilot Amelia Earhart, who disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 in an attempt to make a flight around the world. add synopsis

Awards: 1 win & 1 nomination

Release Year: 2009

Country: UK

Runtime: 108 min

Languages: English

Director:

Tagline: How he saw the world changed it forever

Writers: John Collee (screenplay) Randal Keynes (biography)

Cast: Paul Bettany … Charles Darwin
Jennifer Connelly … Emma Darwin
Jeremy Northam … Reverend Innes
Toby Jones … Thomas Huxley
Benedict Cumberbatch … Joseph Hooker
Jim Carter … Parslow
Martha West … Annie Darwin
Teresa Churcher … Mrs. Davies
Harrison Sansostri … Lenny Darwin
Pauline Stone … Mrs. Darwin's Maid
Zak Davies … Jemmy Buttons
Christopher Dunkin … George Darwin

Plot: English naturalist Charles Darwin struggles to find a balance between his revolutionary theories on evolution and the relationship with religious wife, whose faith contradicts his work. add synopsis

Release Year: 2009

Country: Germany | Russia | UK

Runtime: 112 min

Languages: English

Director:

Tagline: Intoxicating. Infuriating. Impossible. Love.

Cast: James McAvoy … Valentin Bulgakov
Christopher Plummer … Leo Tolstoy
Helen Mirren … Sofya Tolstoy
Anne-Marie Duff … Sasha Tolstoy
Paul Giamatti … Vladimir Chertkov
Kerry Condon … Masha
Patrick Kennedy … Sergeyenko
John Sessions … Dushan
David Masterson … Reporter
Nenad Lucic … Vanja
Tomas Spencer … Andrey Tolstoy
Maximilian Gärtner … Kind

Plot: A historical drama that illustrates Russian author Leo Tolstoy’s struggle to balance fame and wealth with his commitment to a life devoid of material things. add synopsis

Awards: Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 11 nominations

Release Year: 2009

Country: USA

Runtime: 123 min

Languages: English | French

Director:

Tagline: Passion. Ambition. Butter. Do You Have What It Takes?

Cast: Meryl Streep … Julia Child
Amy Adams … Julie Powell
Stanley Tucci … Paul Child
Chris Messina … Eric Powell
Linda Emond … Simone Beck
Helen Carey … Louisette Bertholle
Mary Lynn Rajskub … Sarah
Jane Lynch … Dorothy McWilliams
Joan Juliet Buck … Madame Brassart
Crystal Noelle … Ernestine
George Bartenieff … Chef Max Bugnard
Vanessa Ferlito … Cassie
Casey Wilson … Regina
Jillian Bach … Annabelle
Andrew Garman … John O'Brien

Plot: Julia Child’s story of her start in the cooking profession is intertwined with blogger Julie Powell’s 2002 challenge to cook all the recipes in Child’s first book. add synopsis

Awards: Nominated for Oscar. Another 9 wins & 13 nominations

Release Year: 2009

Country: USA

Runtime: 140 min

Languages: English

Director:

Tagline: America's Most Wanted

Cast: James Russo … Walter Dietrich
David Wenham … Harry 'Pete' Pierpont
Christian Stolte … Charles Makley
Jason Clarke … John 'Red' Hamilton
Johnny Depp … John Dillinger
John Judd … Turnkey
Stephen Dorff … Homer Van Meter
Michael Vieau … Ed Shouse
John Kishline … Guard Dainard
Wesley Walker … Jim Leslie
John Scherp … Earl Adams
Elena Kenney … Viola Norris
William Nero Jr. … Farm Boy
Channing Tatum … Pretty Boy Floyd
Christian Bale … Melvin Purvis

Plot: The Feds try to take down notorious American gangsters John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd during a booming crime wave in the 1930s.

Awards: 8 nominations

Release Year: 2009

Country: UK | Australia | France

Runtime: Canada:119 min

Languages: English

Director:

Tagline: First Love Burns Brightest

Cast: Ben Whishaw … John Keats
Abbie Cornish … Frances 'Fanny' Brawne
Kerry Fox … Mrs. Brawne
Paul Schneider … Charles Armitage Brown
Edie Martin … Margaret 'Toots' Brawne
Thomas Sangster … Samuel Brawne
Gerard Monaco … Charles Dilke
Antonia Campbell-Hughes … Abigail O'Donaghue Brown
Samuel Roukin … John Reynolds
Amanda Hale … Reynolds' Sister I
Lucinda Raikes … Reynolds' Sister II
Samuel Barnett … Joseph Severn
Jonathan Aris … Leigh Hunt
Olly Alexander … Tom Keats
Theresa Watson … Charlotte

Plot: The drama based on the three-year romance between 19th century poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne, which was cut short by Keats’ untimely death at age 25.

Awards: Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 14 nominations

Release Year: 2009

Country: UK | USA | France

Runtime: 117 min

Languages: English

Director:

Tagline: Life has a mind of its own

Cast: Jamie Foxx … Nathaniel Ayers
Robert Downey Jr. … Steve Lopez
Catherine Keener … Mary Weston
Tom Hollander … Graham Claydon
Lisa Gay Hamilton … Jennifer Ayers (as Lisagay Hamilton)
Nelsan Ellis … David Carter
Rachael Harris … Leslie Bloom
Stephen Root … Curt Reynolds
Lorraine Toussaint … Flo Ayers
Justin Martin … Young Nathaniel
Kokayi Ampah … Bernie Carpenter
Patrick Tatten … Paul Jr.
Susane Lee … Marisa (as Susane E. Lee)
Marcos De Silvas … Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
Ilia Volok … Harry Barnoff

Plot: A Los Angeles journalist befriends a homeless Julliard-trained musician, while looking for a new article for the paper.

Awards: 1 nomination

Release Year: 2009

Country: France

Runtime: 105 min

Languages: French

Director:

Tagline: Before she was France's famous mademoiselle…

Writers: Edmonde Charles-Roux (book) Anne Fontaine (writer)

Cast: Audrey Tautou … Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel
Benoît Poelvoorde … Étienne Balsan
Alessandro Nivola … Arthur 'Boy' Capel
Marie Gillain … Adrienne Chanel
Emmanuelle Devos … Emilienne d'Alençon
Régis Royer … Alec, le jockey
Etienne Bartholomeus … Maître d'hôtel Balsan
Yan Duffas … Maurice de Nexon
Fabien Béhar … Patron boutique
Roch Leibovici … Jean, le palefrenier
Jean-Yves Chatelais … Directeur beuglant
Pierre Diot … Acteur théâtre
Vincent Nemeth … Gros homme théâtre
Bruno Abraham-Kremer … Tailleur Deauville
Lisa Cohen … Gabrielle Chanel, 10 ans

Plot: The story of Coco Chanel’s rise from obscure beginnings to the heights of the fashion world. add synopsis

Awards: Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 10 nominations

Release Year: 2009

Country: USA

Runtime: 122 min | 128 min (unrated director's cut)

Languages: English

Director:

Tagline: No dream is too big

Cast: Jamal Woolard … Christopher 'Biggie' Wallace
Mohamed Dione … Record Executive at Party
Derek Luke … Sean 'Puffy' Combs
Dennis L.A. White … Damion 'D-Roc' Butler
Marc John Jefferies … Lil Cease
Menyone DeVeaux … Hot Girl
Ginger Kroll … Debbie
Ricky Smith … Wally
Christopher Jordan Wallace … Biggie (age 8-13)
Amanda Christopher … Keisha
Angela Bassett … Voletta Wallace
Nina Daniels … Street Commentator
Jasper Briggs … Damion (age 8-13)
Cyrus Farmer … Selwyn
David Costabile … Mr. Webber

Plot: The life and death story of Notorious B.I.G. (a.k.a. Christopher Wallace), who came straight out of Brooklyn to take the world of rap music by storm.

Awards: 6 nominations